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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Tasty Tuesday- Chai Recipe

I am a tea drinker. Maybe it's from my former British colony, island upbringing, but no coffee for me in the morning. I'm not a snob about lots of things but I'm a little bit of a tea snob. I really love a good strong cup of Orange Pekoe. In fact, I've been known to walk with a couple tea bags in my purse when I travel to the US as the American teas are too weak for me.

That being said, I've never been much of a chai fan. I think the spices in the chai tea bags are too strong and I can taste the black pepper. I know I said that I like my tea flavour strong but to me, black pepper and orange pekoe do not mix.

About a year ago though, I met my friend Sukhi in the park. We would have play dates with our four girls and she would make chai for the moms. I totally changed my tune about chai. The flavours are way more delicate and the fresh ginger really adds to the flavours. Sukhi was sweet enough to share her recipe which I'm now sharing with everyone. It's the perfect beverage to warm you up in the upcoming cooler months.

Masala Chai Recipe

(for two cups of masala chai)

3 whole cloves

3 whole cardamom pods

1 small piece of ginger (about 1/3 inch of a knob)

1/4 stick of cinnamon

1 cup of water

1 cup of milk

1-2 tea bags

Bruise/Crush the spices in a mortar and pestle. If you don't have one, you can use a rolling pin instead

Boil 1 cup of water with the spices and let it simmer until the water changes its colour to a nice golden brown.

Put the tea bags in and let the tea steep for 1/2 minutes over medium heat

Add milk in and let the entire mixture come to a rolling boil one last time. Monitor carefully as this can happen quite quickly and make a huge mess... trust me I know.

Strain the mixture into cups, sweeten and enjoy.

A few side notes.

I usually use skim milk but I've also enjoyed almond milk in it when I'm really being strict with my meal plan

I sweeten with Stevia but brown sugar is lovely in it also.

Trust me, once you try it, it will be hard for you to go back to your Starbucks' chai latte.